SF native Ken Venturi, 1964 U.S. Open champion, dies at age 82

After his 12-foot putt nestled into the cup on the 18th green, Ken Venturi throws up his arms in celebration of his winning the 1964 U.S. Open golf title at Congressional CC in Bethesda, Maryland, June 20, 1964. less

After his 12-foot putt nestled into the cup on the 18th green, Ken Venturi throws up his arms in celebration of his winning the 1964 U.S. Open golf title at Congressional CC in Bethesda, Maryland, June 20, ... more

Photo: The Washington Post/Getty Images

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The American Ryder Cup team in Scotland, 6th October 1965. From right to left, they are team captain Byron Nelson, Tommy Jacobs, Billy Casper, Don January, Johnny Pott, Tony Lema, Ken Venturi, Dave Marr, Gene Littler, Julius Boros and Arnold Palmer. less

The American Ryder Cup team in Scotland, 6th October 1965. From right to left, they are team captain Byron Nelson, Tommy Jacobs, Billy Casper, Don January, Johnny Pott, Tony Lema, Ken Venturi, Dave Marr, Gene ... more

Photo: Getty Images

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24-year-old Ken Venturi, surrounded by a straining gallery, on his way to victory in a 1956 Chronicle archive photo.

24-year-old Ken Venturi, surrounded by a straining gallery, on his way to victory in a 1956 Chronicle archive photo.

Photo: San Francisco Chronicle

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Tommy Jacobs (left) and Ken Venturi (right) take it easy in the Columbine club house after their practice rounds in 1967. Venturi toured the 7,436-yard layout in four-under-par 68.

Tommy Jacobs (left) and Ken Venturi (right) take it easy in the Columbine club house after their practice rounds in 1967. Venturi toured the 7,436-yard layout in four-under-par 68.

Photo: Denver Post via Getty Images

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June 21, 1964 - Ken Venturi, winner of the National Open gets a big kiss from his wife, Conni, as he accepts the title-holder's silver cup after a searing final round on the Washington Congressional Country Club course. less

June 21, 1964 - Ken Venturi, winner of the National Open gets a big kiss from his wife, Conni, as he accepts the title-holder's silver cup after a searing final round on the Washington Congressional Country ... more

Photo: San Francisco Chronicle file 196

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Ken Venturi, starting a comeback after a two-year slump, tees off on No. 10 at the Denver Country Club in 1963. He shot a five-under-par 30 on the front nine, the day's best in first round of the Denver Open golf tournament. less

Ken Venturi, starting a comeback after a two-year slump, tees off on No. 10 at the Denver Country Club in 1963. He shot a five-under-par 30 on the front nine, the day's best in first round of the Denver Open ... more

Photo: Denver Post via Getty Images

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Ken Venturi chipping onto the fourth green at the Olympic Club in San Francisco, Calif., during the U.S. Open on Thursday, June 16, 1966.

Ken Venturi chipping onto the fourth green at the Olympic Club in San Francisco, Calif., during the U.S. Open on Thursday, June 16, 1966.

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Ken Venturi of the United States during the Piccadilly World Match Play Championship held on 9th October 1964 at The Wentworth Golf Club in Virginia Water, United Kingdom.

Ken Venturi of the United States during the Piccadilly World Match Play Championship held on 9th October 1964 at The Wentworth Golf Club in Virginia Water, United Kingdom.

Photo: Getty Images

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Ken Venturi, of San Francisco, gets out of sand trap on 3rd green and eyes his ball, extreme upper left, which came down 12 inches from cup during the second round of the 56th Amateur Championship at Knellwood.

Ken Venturi, of San Francisco, gets out of sand trap on 3rd green and eyes his ball, extreme upper left, which came down 12 inches from cup during the second round of the 56th Amateur Championship at Knellwood.

Photo: Associated Press

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Ken Venturi (right) and Donna Archer, wife of late golfer George Archer, posing for a picture in front of Mr. Archer's Hall of Fame display before the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame 2012 banquet in San Francisco, Ca on Tuesday, March 13, 2012. less

Ken Venturi (right) and Donna Archer, wife of late golfer George Archer, posing for a picture in front of Mr. Archer's Hall of Fame display before the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame 2012 banquet in San ... more

Photo: The Chronicle

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Former PGA golfer Ken Venturi on the 18th green at the renovated Olympic Club Course in San Francisco, Calif., March 12, 2012.

Former PGA golfer Ken Venturi on the 18th green at the renovated Olympic Club Course in San Francisco, Calif., March 12, 2012.

Photo: Special To The Chronicle

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Former PGA golfer Ken Venturi on the 18th green at the renovated Olympic Club Course in San Francisco, Calif., March 12, 2012.

Former PGA golfer Ken Venturi on the 18th green at the renovated Olympic Club Course in San Francisco, Calif., March 12, 2012.

Photo: Special To The Chronicle

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Former PGA golfer Ken Venturi on the 18th green at the renovated Olympic Club Course in San Francisco, Calif., March 12, 2012.

Former PGA golfer Ken Venturi on the 18th green at the renovated Olympic Club Course in San Francisco, Calif., March 12, 2012.

Photo: Special To The Chronicle

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SF native Ken Venturi, 1964 U.S. Open champion, dies at age 82

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Ken Venturi, a San Francisco native who learned how to play golf at Harding Park, memorably won the 1964 U.S. Open and later built a long and distinguished career as a television analyst, died Friday in Rancho Mirage (Riverside County). He was 82.

Mr. Venturi had been hospitalized for nearly two months, after developing pneumonia, infections in his back and intestines. He previously survived prostate cancer in 2000-01 and quintuple heart-bypass surgery in 2006.

“He meant so much to the game, in so many different ways,” said John Cook, a longtime tour pro whom Venturi mentored starting when Cook was 14. “Not just his great playing record but also as a transcending television analyst, and then with his philanthropic endeavors.

“Really, I can’t think of one person who has hit the game so vastly and through so many different channels.”

Mr. Venturi was an accomplished amateur golfer, but his path to prominence as a professional included several speed bumps. He overcame a severe stutter, weathered two crushing losses in the Masters, sustained lingering injuries in a September 1961 car accident and disappeared into a maddening, career-threatening slump.
So it seemed fitting, somehow, that his most triumphant moment occurred in trying circumstances, when he played 36 holes in scorching heat and humidity at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md.

There, on the broiling Blue Course on June 20, 1964, Mr. Venturi became an enduring symbol of perseverance in winning the U.S. Open under brutal conditions. He shot 66-70 on the final day — back then, the tournament concluded with 36 holes on Saturday — to win his only major championship.

When his final putt dropped, sealing a four-shot victory, the magnitude of the moment almost stunned Mr. Venturi. He raised his arms, mumbled, “Oh my God, I’ve won the Open!” and began crying when he saw tears streaming down the face of fellow competitor Raymond Floyd.

Mr. Venturi didn’t just win the Open – he won it in unforgettable fashion.

“I’ve seen people over the years who tell me where I won, what I shot and exactly what I did,” he said in an April 2011 interview. “There aren’t many Opens where everyone can tell you all about it.”

It already was hot for the morning round, when Mr. Venturi surged into contention. His swift pace slowed as the heat took its toll. He started shaking on No. 17 and struggled to walk off the 18th green after completing his round.

Dr. John Everett, a Congressional member, was summoned to the locker room to examine Mr. Venturi. Everett recommended he withdraw, fearing he might die if he tried to play another round. Everett walked all 18 holes in the afternoon, regularly providing water and salt tablets.

But the tale of this victory stretches beyond 100-degree heat and Mr. Venturi’s fight through dehydration and exhaustion. His career was in tatters at the time – he hadn’t won in nearly four years and, less than a month earlier, he was practically broke and on the brink of returning to the Bay Area to find a real job.

“It’s hard to express, but to come back borders on a miracle,” Mr. Venturi said in 2011. “It’s storybook. It’s fictional.”

That it did happen resurrected his career and forever changed his life. He instantly went from a solid tour pro to a major champion, with one of the most memorable victories in the long history of America’s national championship.

He won twice more in ’64 and added one last, emotional victory in the 1966 Lucky International at Harding Park, his home course. Hand problems, eventually diagnosed as carpal tunnel syndrome, soon ended his career.

Mr. Venturi finished with 14 wins on the PGA Tour. He was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame in October and was inducted (in the Lifetime Achievement category) last week, though on May 6. Sadly, he could not make the trip to St. Augustine, Fla., for the ceremony.

“I was very upset and saddened to hear the news of Ken’s passing,” golf great Jack Nicklaus said. “We all knew what a wonderful player Ken was, and how he fashioned a second successful career as an announcer. But far more important than how good he was at playing the game or covering it, Ken was my friend.

“Over the years, Ken developed a circle of friends that is enormous and whose collective heart is heavy today. All those in and out of the golf community will miss him.

“If there is some sense of fairness, it’s that Ken was inducted into a Hall of Fame he very much deserved to be in … While I know he was not able to be there in person for his induction, I am certain there was an overwhelming sense of pride and peace that embraced Ken. It was a dream of his that became a reality before he sadly left us.”

Kenneth Venturi was born in San Francisco on May 15, 1931 and attended Lincoln High. He grew up in the Sunset District and worked as a caddie at San Francisco Golf Club and the Olympic Club. He played his first round at Harding Park with hickory-shaft clubs, following his dad’s advice to play quickly and count every stroke.

He shot 172.

Fred Venturi sold net and twine to fishermen along the West Coast, then retired to run the pro shop at Harding. Young Ken watched Byron Nelson win the old San Francisco Open in 1946 and immediately returned home to tell his mom, Ethyl, he wanted to grow up and be just like Nelson. They later became close friends.

Ken Venturi spoke with such a severe stutter as a child, and endured such relentless bullying from his classmates, that he embraced golf partly because of its solitude. He was 13 then and had trouble even saying his own name. Mr. Venturi never dreamed he could speak without a stutter, let alone spend 35 years on CBS. , offering cogent analysis in a low, smooth voice.

So “The King’s Speech,” the Academy Award-winning film about King George VI and his stuttering problem, had a powerful impact. He watched actor Colin Firth put a pot over his head, or his hands over his ears, and declared, “He did the same things I did!” Mr. Venturi used to put his mom’s big spaghetti pot over his head as he talked, because it helped to hear the echo of his own voice.

“I got chills watching the movie,” he said.

His feats as an amateur included winning the San Francisco City Championship three times – including the 1956 edition, when he outdueled Harvie Ward before a crowd of 10,000 people at Harding – and the state amateur twice. Mr. Venturi, who played in college at San Jose State, nearly won the Masters as an amateur in ’56, but he shot a final-round 80 in windy conditions.

He overcame that disappointment to win 10 times in his first four years on the PGA Tour (1957-60). His career began to slide downhill after the car accident in ’61, until he magically conquered Congressional in the ’64 Open. Sports Illustrated named Mr. Venturi its Sportsman of the Year in the wake of that triumph.

His status as a major champion helped open another path after his playing career. He initially declined CBS producer Frank Chirkinian’s offer to work in television, fearful of looking foolish with his onetime stutter. He overcame those fears and became an on-air fixture for more than three decades, eventually teaming with Jim Nantz, most notably at the Masters.

“He was one of the finest gentlemen the world will ever know and one of the greatest friends you could ever have,” Nantz said. ” He was a deeply principled man with a dynamic presence. He just exuded class.

“Through his competitive days and unequalled broadcasting career, Kenny became a human bridge connecting everyone from Sarazen, Nelson and Hogan to the greatest players of today’s generation. Kenny faced many adversities in his life and always found a way to win.”

PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem released a statement tonight, in the wake of Mr. Venturi’s death.

“The tour joins the world of golf in mourning the loss of one of its most treasured champions and ambassadors,” Finchem said. “His impact on the tour and the game itself cannot be overstated. His tremendous accomplishments on the golf course were certainly Hall-of-Fame worthy on their own.

“But in Ken one finds a rare example of a golfer whose second career, in television, rivaled the legendary status of his competitive achievements. His unique perspective and poetic delivery as an announcer enhanced countless memorable moments in golf, making his voice and presence as indelible as the historic tournaments he covered.

“Ken will forever be remembered as a consummate gentleman, and he will be truly missed.”

Even though he lived outside the Bay Area most of his adult life, Mr. Venturi relished his roots. He returned to San Francisco in March 2012 to speak at the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame induction dinner, as presenter for the late George Archer. Mr. Venturi was inducted into BASHOF himself in 1984.

He also spent three hours with The Chronicle at the Olympic Club during his 2012 visit, providing hole-by-hole analysis for the newspaper’s U.S. Open preview section in June. Mr. Venturi appeared on the cover.

“Ken loved the Bay Area and talked about it a lot,” Cook said. “It was kind of his happy place.”

Mr. Venturi is survived by his wife, Kathleen, sons Matt and Tim from a previous marriage and four adult grandchildren. Funeral services are pending.